I hope everyone has had a great start to their September. Our campaigns and candidates have sure hit the ground running, so I’m excited to share what they’ve all been up to.

President Trump Visits Fargo

President Donald J. Trump came back to Fargo on Friday, September 7th for a special VIP Reception and Fundraiser in support of Kevin Cramer’s U.S. Senate campaign. He reminded our supporters and anyone listening across the country why we need to replace Heidi Heitkamp.

National Day of Action

Our North Dakota Republican Party made a strong showing this weekend for our last National Weekend of Action. NDGOP volunteers and staff across the state knocked doors, called voters, and marched in parades- all in support of the Republican ticket.

Gov. Burgum Hosts Event For Al Jaeger

Senator Sorvaag Addresses NDSU

College Republicans

Senator Ron Sorvaag of District 45 addressed NDSU College Republicans this past Thursday to discuss the importance of standing for what you believe in and how the legislature can connect with young minds.

In The News

With voting record and Trump’s support, Cramer aims to win N.D.’s Senate race

Clad in a golf shirt, cargo shorts and tennis shoes, Cramer darted in from the side, sprinting to catch up as he had just arrived from a veterans home event in Lisbon, about 250 miles away. In a flash, the 57-year-old canvassed and crisscrossed the street to shake the hands of as many Hazenites as he could.

After all, this is how you win a Senate race in North Dakota, according to Cramer.

Joel Heitkamp tweeted on Wednesday that potential Hurricane Florence victims do not have to worry about the incoming storm because Trump will come to their aid because “they’re white,” implying that the president did not aid storm victims in Puerto Rico due to their Hispanic heritage. Heitkamp’s tweet comes the same day as the North Dakota Red Cross announced it will travel to North Carolina to help those caught in the wake of the hurricane.

Fifty Days Until Mid-Terms as Senate Control is in a Toss-up

The race that has really filled my inbox in recent weeks is the North Dakota Senate battle. Both sides in the North Dakota race have been brawling in news releases and ads on an almost hourly basis. Cramer came out Monday with an ad championing his energy policy while criticizing Heitkamp for supporting the Iran nuclear deal, saying “Heitkamp chose Iranian oil producers over hard-working North Dakotans.” The press releases from Cramer and Heitkamp surrogates have attacked just about everything but the brand of toilet paper the other campaign buys. I expect those attacks will come as we get closer to Nov. 6.

“Really after Labor Day is when people who don’t necessarily eat, breathe, and sleep this stuff start becoming engaged, and now we need to get our message out to as many voters as possible because we think when they hear what we have to say, we’ll get tremendous amount of support,” said Armstrong. Armstrong is going up against former State Senate Minority Leader and Democratic nominee Mac Schneider for North Dakota’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The North Dakota Republican Party released a new digital ad today calling out Heidi Heitkamp for playing politics with North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers.

As Congress continues its work to author a new Farm Bill, Heidi Heitkamp has consistently put her own reelection campaign above the needs and concerns of the agricultural community. Throughout this process, Heitkamp has attacked Trump administration officials for visiting North Dakota to discuss agriculture, failed to deliver on a WOTUS rule repeal in the Senate’s Farm Bill, and attacked the President Trump-endorsed version of the Farm Bill for having what she called “poison pills.”

Ever since the Farm Bill Conference Committee began to form, Heitkamp has actively undermined the President’s efforts on trade negotiations, flip-flopped on the trade assistance package, and called a win for North Dakota agriculture “politics at its worst” only because she thought the news could hurt her reelection campaign.

Heidi Heitkamp’s rhetoric doesn’t match her record, and the North Dakota Republican Party is committed to holding her accountable this election season.

“Heidi Heitkamp is trying to win reelection by using farmers as political props to attack President Trump and Kevin Cramer,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “While she claims to care about agriculture, Heitkamp has made it clear she only cares about herself. Kevin Cramer has worked tirelessly to be a strong voice for the agricultural community, and he’s the right choice for North Dakota’s farmers this November.”

President Trump’s administration just took action to fix an Obama-Heitkamp job-killing regulation that hurt North Dakota.

The Department of the Interior today announced a final rule that revises the 2016 Waste Prevention Rule. This Obama-era regulation put North Dakota jobs at risk and hurt the state’s industry, but Heidi Heitkamp supported it anyway.

In 2017, the House passed a resolution led by Rep. Kevin Cramer disapproving of this rule, but Senator Heitkamp stood with President Obama and Washington liberals to vote against the resolution, which failed by one vote thanks to Heitkamp.

Heitkamp’s vote was considered a win for President Obama and New York Times liberals who praised her decision, but it was a loss for North Dakota, a state that ranks as the second highest oil and gas producing state in the country.

“Heidi Heitkamp put liberal special interests ahead of North Dakota’s workers and industries,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “Heitkamp was sent to Washington to be a voice for her state, but she has failed. Kevin Cramer has been fighting since day one to fix this rule and support North Dakota’s energy industry. North Dakotans deserve a Senator who will continue to fight for them.”

Kevin Cramer today unveiled a new ad highlighting his support for an all-the-above energy strategy. Cramer’s record on energy policy is a win for North Dakota and American energy, but Jimmy Carter’s EPA attorney Heidi Heitkamp can’t say the same, and her voting record explains why.

During the Obama administration, Heitkamp supported a harmful BLM environmental regulation limiting methane release on oil and gas operators. She votedtwice for higher taxes on the oil industry, and voted against expressing the sense of the Senate that the greenhouse gas agreement with China is “economically unfair and environmentally irresponsible.”

She also supported Obama’s dangerous Iran Nuclear Deal, which opened world markets to Iranian oil, hurting North Dakota energy producers and leading to more financing for terrorist groups:

And just last year, Heitkamp voted against President Trump’s tax cuts that opened up ANWR for drilling. North Dakotans are ready to elect a Senator whose energy policy will help them, instead of a Senator only focused on helping herself.

With 50 days until the midterms, the North Dakota Republican Party made a strong showing this weekend for our last National Weekend of Action. NDGOP volunteers and staff across the state knocked doors, called voters, and marched in parades- all in support of the Republican ticket.

Whether its her support for dangerous sanctuary cities or her opposition to lower taxes for North Dakotans, Heidi Heitkamp has proven herself to be out-of-touch with her state. Kevin Cramer, Kelly Armstrong and Republicans up and down the ballot are the right choice for voters this November, and the NDGOP is better prepared than ever to deliver that message.

Today on the front page of the Bismarck Tribune is an article by Jack Dura, who accompanied Kevin Cramer as he marched in a parade in rural North Dakota. In the report, Dura discusses the important issues in this race with the Congressman and hears directly from voters on where they stand and what policies matter to them.

As Congressman, Kevin Cramer has been a voice for North Dakota and has made himself more accessible to his constituents than Senator Heitkamp ever would. With his strong record on jobs, immigration, and agriculture- a stark contrast to Heitkamp- it’s no wonder North Dakotans all across the state are lining up to support Kevin.

In case you missed it…

With Voting Record And Trump’s Support, Cramer Aims To Win N.D.’S Senate Race

The entourage headed by a pickup blasting music led Hazen’s HarvestFest parade of local businesses and organizations oozing down the main drag of town in the heart of North Dakota’s coal country.

Kids clambered for candy tossed to the curb, and old folks watched from lawn chairs. For a couple blocks, Cramer’s procession marched without him. Then he appeared.

Clad in a golf shirt, cargo shorts and tennis shoes, Cramer darted in from the side, sprinting to catch up as he had just arrived from a veterans home event in Lisbon, about 250 miles away. In a flash, the 57-year-old canvassed and crisscrossed the street to shake the hands of as many Hazenites as he could.

After all, this is how you win a Senate race in North Dakota, according to Cramer.

“Just getting to as many people as I can with every waking minute,” he said. “And that means driving from Fargo to Bismarck, back to Lisbon to Hazen and lots of places in between.”

Cramer has been North Dakota’s lone congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013, elected the same day as first-term Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, his Democratic opponent. Waving to supporters (“Hey, Kevin, how are ya?”) and admiring a team of horses as the parade filtered past the finish line, Cramer said North Dakota’s closely watched Senate race comes down to his and Heitkamp’s voting records in their five years in office.

“Here are we, two people elected on the very same day by the very same people and we’ve served in the very same congresses for six years,” he said. “They get to compare us side by side.”

The Cramer-Heitkamp race has garnered national interest as its outcome may decide whether Democrats or Republicans hold the majority of the U.S. Senate.

Favorable winds

Cramer said the issues favor him in the Senate race, from rolling back of federal regulations, such as the Waters of the U.S. rule, the repeal of the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act, his vote for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and even the more recent trade disputes.

“I think there’s anxiety over the trade issues, but we’re also seeing the trade issues coming around to the benefit of North Dakotans and North Dakota farmers,” Cramer said. “While certainly a complete collapse of some sort in prices based on trade wars could have a negative impact, by and large on net, the ag issues and the farm issues, the rural America issues are very good for me.”

He criticized his opponent for her “identity crisis” in politics, highlighting what he said will be her “yes” vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh: “Mark it down, guaranteed.”

“She’s forever having to tout the fact that she’s not really a good Democrat,” Cramer said. “I never have to apologize for being a good Republican.”

Rep. Kevin Cramer, the Republican nominee in North Dakota’s U.S. Senate race, greets people outside the Chevrolet dealership in Hazen during the city’s HarvestFest Parade on Sept. 8. North Dakota’s Senate race between Cramer and incumbent Democrat Heidi Heitkamp is one of the most closely watched in the 2018 midterms as the outcome may decide the U.S. Senate majority.

Cramer was also an early endorser of Donald Trump for president, who captured North Dakota’s three electoral votes in 2016 with 63 percent of the vote. The former celebrity businessman has visited Fargo twice in support of Cramer. “Competitive” and “important” races in Montana, Minnesota and South Dakota make the North Dakota congressman “a pretty good anchor” for Trump’s travels, Cramer added.

“I’m hoping that logistics work out that he can find the time to drop down one more time in North Dakota, maybe sometime in mid-October and maybe give us a little extra boost going across the finish line,” he said.

With seven weeks to Election Day, Nov. 6, the third-term Congressman said the time left is “a lifetime in a campaign.” Turnout could be an issue, he added. The midterms don’t generate the turnout as presidential years do, but Cramer said the Senate balance and Trump’s agenda “adds to the enthusiasm for my voters.”

Why Cramer?

Cramer found support in the streets of Hazen at HarvestFest. Residents say they like his accessibility and the Republican agenda.

Justin Hill, a former police officer who now owns the Hazen Meats butcher shop, said he sees Cramer as “heading in the right direction” while he doesn’t see Heitkamp aligned with what North Dakotans want.

“I don’t agree with everything (Cramer) does, but I don’t agree with my wife on everything she does either,” Hill said. “I think the majority of what Kevin Cramer’s doing is in the right direction.”

Smoking a cigarette outside Box’s Bar after the parade, Matthew Lemasters said a number of factors led him to favor Cramer in the race, including the U.S. Senate majority at stake. He also said he won’t vote for a Democrat.

“Not in my world, not in my job aspects,” the coal miner said, who did commend Heitkamp for her work on agriculture issues and her role in lifting the decades-long ban on crude oil exports.

Down the street on a sunny front porch under dancing wind chimes, retired plant operator Dallas Sailer said he’s for Heitkamp as he has been before.

“I just like her. The things she’s done,” he said. “To me, (Cramer) is too much in the back pocket of Trump.”

Antoinette Heier, a former teacher of 18 years who’s now the executive director of the Hazen Chamber of Commerce, said the local energy economy is the biggest issue for her in the Senate race, which led her to support Cramer.

Heier said she perceives Heitkamp as having different priorities, such as the opioid crisis, but acknowledged Heitkamp’s work on the Section 45Q tax credit for developing carbon capture technology. The candidates’ local visibility and accessibility is also important for Heier.

“I had people ask ‘Where’s Heidi Heitkamp?’” she said after the parade. “Kevin shows up, not Heidi.”

While Heitkamp did not walk in Hazen’s HarvestFest parade, Heitkamp volunteers did attend, as well as in parades that same weekend in Horace, Mapleton and Mayville, according to Julia Krieger, Heitkamp’s campaign spokeswoman.

Heier said she “won’t throw a protest” if Cramer loses the race, but hopes U.S. senators can work together, no matter the party majority. She said she’s met both Cramer and Heitkamp on different occasions.

“Both wonderful candidates, and we should be very blessed to have such professional candidates,” Heier said.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s hearings to become our next Supreme Court Justice concluded now one week ago, but Heidi Heitkamp is nowhere to be found.

Heitkamp promised to announce her position following the hearing, but since its conclusion Heitkamp has remained silent, refusing to either take a side on the eminently qualified nominee or even to condemn the extreme tactics employed by her Democrat colleagues and “friends.” Heitkamp continues to ignore the will of her constituents because she’s dutifully following Chuck Schumer’s orders to stay neutral as long as possible.

Now, Forum political commentator Rob Port is out with a new piece highlighting how Heitkamp’s party boss Chuck Schumer and her Democrat colleagues may have already cost her the North Dakota Senate seat.

As Port asks in his piece, “Do voters here want the second half of the term Trump was elected to obstructed by a Democrat-controlled Senate, and all the political stunts and recrimination which would go along with it?” The answer from North Dakotans is a resounding no.

Democrats have become so extreme in their efforts to block Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s that it could end up costing incumbent Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp a Senate seat.

Just look at the stakes Democrats have created for this confirmation vote, which is expected to happen some time in early October. Senator Gillibrand of New York has said that “women are going to die” if he is confirmed. Currently there is a furor over an anonymous letter, which few have seen, accusing Kavanaugh of doing something at a house party 30 years ago when he was 17 that, if true, might rise to the level of sexual assault or some other sort of criminal misconduct.

Except, Democrats took the potentially criminal accusations in this letter so seriously they’ve been sitting on it since July and only released it now on the cusp of the confirmation vote.

In Minnesota sitting congressman, and candidate for state Attorney General, Keith Ellison has been accused of assault on the record by a former girlfriend (and her son) who is not anonymous. We can have a debate about how credible her accusation is, but her claims have more substance than what we’ve seen against Kavanaugh so far.

Yet Democrats are standing beside Ellison, and they want Kavanaugh removed from consideration for the court.

Meanwhile, the supposedly “independent” Heidi Heitkamp is trying to get herself re-elected to the U.S. Senate with votes from a generally pro-Trump electorate.

This Kavanaugh mess represents a problem for her in a couple of ways.

First, there’s the fact that she’s eventually going to have to vote on his confirmation. Heitkamp’s political party has so thoroughly stoked the fires of hatred for Kavanaugh that the wink-and-a-nod understanding Heitkamp usually enjoys from the liberal base for her calculated and cynical election year feints to the right will probably be out the window. For many left-wing voters in the state, a Heitkamp vote for Kavanaugh might be enough to inspire them to stay home.

Heitkamp can’t afford to lose those votes.

On the flip side, if Heitkamp votes against Kavanaugh it would be her siding with her political party to kill the Supreme Court nomination of a President most North Dakotans voted for.

Heitkamp can’t afford to lose those votes either.

I’m not sure there is a good option for how to vote on this one.

The second problem is the circus around the Kavanaugh confirmation process has been created by the political party which will be in charge of the U.S. Senate should Democrats like Heitkamp win their elections. Republicans are going to point that out for North Dakota voters who are deeply suspicious of Heitkamp’s political party.

Do voters here want the second half of the term Trump was elected to obstructed by a Democrat-controlled Senate, and all the political stuns and recrimination which would go along with it?

Probably not.

I suspect for Democrats, nationally, keeping Kavanaugh out of the Senate is more important than keeping Heitkamp in the Senate. Which makes perfect sense. Congressional majorities are fleeting. Supreme Court appointments are for life.

Heidi Heitkamp is out with her eleventh ad of the cycle today, once again playing politics with North Dakota’s agricultural community.

While feigning interest in helping rural North Dakotans, Senator Heitkamp has spent the past year using farmers and ranchers as political props to attack President Trump and Kevin Cramer.

Throughout the campaign Heidi Heitkamp has actively undermined the President’s efforts against China, flip-flopped on the trade assistance package, and called a win for North Dakota agriculture “politics at its worst” because the news hurt her reelection campaign. As Kevin Cramer said, the best way to handle a trade war “is [to] win it,” but the only winning Heitkamp cares about is own her reelection campaign.

Despite the Heitkamp campaign’s desperate barrage of attack ads in hopes that voters will forget about her out-of-touch record, Kevin Cramer’s lead “has remained steady for months.”

“Senator Heitkamp playing politics with our farmers and ranchers is hurting North Dakotans,” said North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins. “Her new ad is entitled ‘Blame,’ but when voters reject Heitkamp’s blatant politicization of the agriculture community this November, the only person she’ll have to blame is herself.”

Whether its opposing tax cuts for the middle class or supporting dangerous sanctuary cities, Heidi Heitkamp and her liberal friends in Washington are demonstrating just how out-of-touch they are with North Dakota’s values. Kevin Cramer, Kelly Armstrong and Republicans up and down the ballot are the right choice to represent this state, and the North Dakota Republican Party is more prepared than ever to deliver that message.

Chairman Rick Berg penned an op-ed detailing the unprecedented work being done to ensure the Republican message is effectively articulated and delivered to voters. Thanks to the NDGOP, North Dakota Republicans are better positioned for victory than ever before.

The eyes of the nation are on North Dakota as we approach this November’s general election. Campaigns for our critically important Senate seat, open House seat, and several statewide elected offices have all drawn the interest of voters, advocacy groups, and political pundits from across the country. Most importantly, these races and the 23 legislative districts on the ballot in November will have a sizeable impact on the future of our state – which is why the North Dakota Republican Party has taken unprecedented steps to expand and enhance its infrastructure.

Our collective success is not artificial: it is the result of a purposeful choice by North Dakota voters who want a party that supports them. The efforts of our volunteer base and Republicans everywhere will be the reason for our electoral success in November.

Taking our message straight to the front door, NDGOP volunteer teams have already knocked over 100,000 doors and made over 150,000 phone calls. To make this happen, our teams have held over 1,000 one-on-one meetings with other volunteers and have activated and trained hundreds more in every corner of the state. Every day, these teams are continuing to talk to more voters than ever before in our party’s history. The momentum is certainly on our side.

Additionally, we have established a strong communications department tasked with advancing our candidates’ winning message while directly engaging with voters through new mediums. Our communications team is uniquely positioned to successfully promote our candidates and issues.

The message being crafted by our communications team and delivered directly to voters by our incredible field team is a winning message for North Dakota. Our focus on economic success, regulatory relief, affordable health care, respect for the rule of law, and an all-the-above energy approach is what North Dakotans want from their elected officials.

This is why the North Dakota Republican Party is well equipped to deliver results in November and put forward an agenda the people support – but it is all for naught if we fail to activate our grassroot Republicans. With the infrastructure now in place, we need even more Republicans from all across the state to step in and join our efforts – you can get started at ndgop.org.

Please join the ranks of hundreds of volunteers who are already in place so together we can ensure the NDGOP is stronger than ever and ready for victory on election day.

BISMARCK— North Dakota Republican Party Communications Director Jake Wilkins issued the following in support of Secretary of State Al Jaeger’s debate performance:

“Tonight Republican Al Jaeger reminded voters why he’s the right choice for Secretary of State and why they’ve consistently chosen to support him throughout the years. Secretary Jaeger has a proven track record of ensuring our election systems are efficient, modernized, and secure. Al Jaeger stands with North Dakotans, who overwhelming want to ensure the integrity of our elections — while his Democratic opponent boasts about opposing voter identification efforts in the legislature. The North Dakota Republican Party looks forward to helping Al secure a resounding victory this November!”